HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i softball team (20-20, 8-4 WAC) swept today's doubleheader to complete the sweep over Utah State. Freshman pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts earned both wins, firing a total of 13.0 innings. The 'Bows came through with timely hitting late in both games. Senior catcher
Stacey Yamada hit a two-out, walk-off, RBI single in the 10th inning of the day's first game to win 4-3. Then, in UH's second game, junior first baseman
Amanda Tauali'i belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to lift the 'Bows over the Aggies, 3-2 this afternoon at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Ricketts earned all three wins of the series, throwing a total of 19.0 innings in two starts and one relief appearance. She gave up three runs on eight scattered hits with five walks and 18 strike outs. Ricketts had a 1.11 ERA and held Utah State to a .129 batting average in the three games.
The 'Bows evened their record at 20-20 for 2009 and is now tied for second in the Western Athletic Conference with Fresno State with a 8-4 record.
Utah State 3, Hawai`i 4 (10 innings)
Box Score
The Aggies jumped out to a quick two run lead in the top of the first. Starting pitcher,
Courtney Baughman got the first two outs on a fly to left and a swinging strike out. But Rayna Bradshaw then started their two-out rally with a double to the right-centerfield gap. Jasmine Harris followed with a single to left that allowed Bradshaw to score. Simone Hubbard then laced a triple down the rightfield line to score Harris. Baughman then got the last out on a fly to right.
The score remained until the bottom of the third when
Tanisha Milca drilled a solo home run to centerfield to cutting their deficit to 2-1. It was her eighth home run of the season.
In the fourth, the 'Bows knotted the game at 2-2 on a solo home run by
Audrey Andrade that sailed over the leftfield fence. It was Andrade's third homer of the year.
Utah State answered back and retook the lead in the top of the fifth. Emily Reilly started the inning with a single to right. Rachel Evans then sacrifice bunted back to the pitcher, but on the play the throw sailed over to the first baseline fence allowing both runners to scoot into scoring position. UH freshman pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts then entered the game in relief. She struck out the first batter she faced, but then gave up a single to left that scored Reilly from third to go ahead 3-2. Ricketts then got a fly out to left for the second out and the inning ended on a comebacker.
UH tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth. Tauali`i led the inning off with an opposite-field double to leftfield. Pinch-runner
Alex Aguirre went into run for Tauali`i and Andrade followed by drawing a walk. The Aggies' Greenough then got two ground outs to short and third. But
Stacey Yamada came through with a clutch single to left. Aguirre scored easily from third, but Andrade was gunned out at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The score remained locked at 3-3 through nine innings, but in the 10
th, the 'Bows pulled out the win. With one out, Andrade drew a walk.
Richie-Anne Titcomb then entered the game as a pinch runner for Andrade.
Traci Yoshikawa then hit a double to the left-centerfield gap, putting runners at second and third with first base open. The Aggies chose to intentionally walk #Kanani Pu`u-Warren#, hoping to get a force at any base, but instead, Yamada came through with her first career walk-off single that fell into right-centerfield to score Titcomb to win the game, 4-3.
Baughman threw 4.0 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with two strike outs. Ricketts threw six shut-out innings, spacing three hits, walking two, and striking out five.
For the Aggies, Kate Greenough threw a complete game in the loss. She gave up four runs on eight hits with seven walks (two intentional), and five strike outs.
Leading UH at the plate were Milca, who was 2-for-3 with a home run; Andrade who was 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks; and Yamada was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI.
Box Score
For the second game in a row, the Aggies posted two runs in the top of the first to start the game and stun the 'Bows. Nicole Rupp led the game off with a double to left-centerfield. Emily Reilly then laid down a bunt to third for a single that left runners at the corners. Reilly promptly stole second and the next batter, Rayna Bradshaw lined a single to leftfield to score Rupp and move Reilly to third. Jasmine Harris then hit a chopper up the middle, but the shortstop couldn't come up the ball cleanly on the fielding error. But on the play, Reilly scored from third. Ricketts then settled down to get a fly out to right and then turned a double play catching a line-drive ripped back to her and firing to first to double off the runner for the final out of the inning.
UH got one run back in the bottom of the second to cut their deficit in half.
Audrey Andrade was hit by the pitch with one out. The Aggies got the second out on a pop up to second, but Kanani Pu`u-Warren got a solid single to center to continue the inning.
Mikalemi Tagab-Cruz then pinch ran for Andrade at second. Yamada then worked the pitcher to a full count and then hit a single to right to score a hustling Tagab-Cruz from second. With runners at the corners, UH attempted a double steal, but Pu`u-Warren was caught in a run down between third and home and was eventually caught stealing, 2-to-4-to-2-to-5 to end the rally. After two innings, the score was Utah State 2, UH 1.
Utah State starter Lindsey Benson then retired nine of the next 10 batters in a row. But in the bottom of the sixth, UH got the opening they were looking for. Milca led the inning off with a slow grounder to first. The first baseman tried to pick the ball up and tag Milca as she ran past, but she bobbled the ball allowing Milca to scoot past her and be safe at first on the fielding error. After a fly out to left, Yoshikawa executed a sacrifice bunt that moved Milca into scoring position. Tauali`i then battled at the plate for a full count. She then hit an opposite-field home run to leftfield to lift UH to its first lead of the game, 3-2, with a half an inning to play.
After the rough first inning, Ricketts settled down and did not give up another hit. She retired the next 14 batters in a row before issuing a two out walk in the fifth. Ricketts then started another string of consecutive outs, retiring the final seven batters in a row for her 15th win and 18th complete game of the season.
Utah State's Benson gave up three runs on four hits with no walks and four strike outs.
Hawai`i now heads to San Jose State for their final road series of the year this coming Friday and Saturday. The 'Bows will also face Santa Clara for the second time the season on the following Tuesday, April 20.
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